Alexander Armstrong's favourite things, from marmalade to shaving foam

The comedian, actor, writer and television presenter, who fronts BBC1’s hugely popular quiz show Pointless, also regularly presents Have I Got News for You and was half of the comedic partnership Armstrong and Miller.

Brought up near Morpeth in Northumberland, Alexander gained a music scholarship to Durham School at the age of 16, before going on to study English at Trinity College, Cambridge. An accomplished singer and performer, his latest album, Upon a Different Shore, is out now.

He lives in Oxfordshire with his wife, Hannah, and their four sons.

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Marmalade

I’m very fussy about marmalade and Duchy Organic Seville Orange Marmalade (£1.99), in my opinion, is the nonpareil. No one has nailed the texture and the tang (not to mention the colour) as well as the Duchy.

I think I’d rather forgo breakfast altogether than have the wrong marmalade. It’s hard to believe, but I have been to places where apricot jam has been proffered as an alternative—I don’t even know where to begin with that.

Shaving gel

Every time I pass The Refinery’s shop in London’s Brook Street, I stock up on its shave foam gel (£18). It’s slightly odd that shaving foam (of all things) should be something I’m particular about, but I think it’s because this smells so good: strong clove-y notes of Bay Rum—a very elegant scent to start the day with—and there’s a very pleasing ‘clag’ to the foam, too.

Wine gadget

The Coravin Wine System (£199) is ingenious—it sticks a tiny needle through the cork, enabling you to draw off a glass or two without uncorking the bottle.

It also replaces the wine you’ve removed with argon gas, so what remains is kept pristine. It means you can have a virtuous single glass of something really delicious without any guilt whatsoever.